Inclement weather caused the softball team to play just one game out of two doubleheaders this weekend. Ball State downed Eastern Michigan on Friday, before rain canceled the second game in the top of the third inning. Sunday's twinbill against Marshall has been moved to today at noon.
The Cardinals (16-30, 3-9 Mid-American Conference) used an eighth-inning rally on Friday to win their third conference game of the season. Abby Gross hit a single down the left-field line with bases loaded to beat Eastern, 2-1. It was the fifth extra-innings victory this year for BSU.
Pitcher Amy Brownfield started off shaky by hitting a batter and walking two others in the first inning, but she got out of the inning untouched thanks to a nice defensive play by Amanda Pick. The second baseman fielded a sharply hit ball up the middle and started a double play that get the Cardinals out of the inning.
The Eagles scored their only run in the third inning. Heather Giroux struck out, but reached first on a passed ball. Giroux then stole second, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a bunt to first base.
Ball State struggled early in the game against Eastern Michigan pitcher Aimee Woodrum, recording just one hit -- Pick's fourth-inning double -- through the first five innings.
"We took a while to adjust," coach Terri Laux said. "I think we were trying to hit Woodrum really hard. She had some decent movement, but nothing that we haven't already seen. They were just trying to do too much, and finally we made the adjustments."
The Cardinals' adjustments finally showed in the sixth inning. Alyssa Huffman notched a two-out infield single. Pick followed by hitting a single up the middle. Gross then knocked the first of her two RBI singles to left field to tie the game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ball State's Cortney Patteson lined a single to right-center field with one out. Huffman reached base again without hitting the ball out of the infield, this time on a bunt single. Pick then hit a fly ball to center field that was dropped for an error, loading the bases for Gross.
Brownfield pitched all eight innings for the Cards, allowing one unearned run. She lowered her conference ERA to 1.03 and improved her overall record to 7-8.
"It's nice to give her a win finally," Laux said. "She held a pretty decent hitting team to just two hits. She is the defense's biggest fan."
Ball State is now 5-2 in extra-inning games this season; the Cards have outscored their opponents 10-5 in the extra frames.
"You can see a little more intensity the later it gets," Laux said of her team's late charges. "They really get focused. We just have to find a way to make that adjustment earlier in the game."
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